Skins by Aelius

[aelius]

Eventually, I do intend to offer the Wespe and have been working on the insignia (as I can bring myself to return to it) for the past week or so.

But if wrapping the skeletal hand around two surfaces was challenging, trying to align all the bits when they cover the sides, top, bottom, and nose of the plane is an exercise in frustration, especially given the template with which one has to work. Even then, the image begins to distort and the lines become irregular as they are applied over a three-dimensional surface.

As to the Bf-110, the model seems particularly detailed and, inspired by the work of Shado and Graf, a natural place to start. It also is a flamboyant plane, with its yellow cowlings, unit codes and insignia, camouflage schemes, chevrons and theater bands. This is why skinning just for the Battle of Britain is too restrictive. (There would be more opportunities, too, if the developers offered a Bf-110D, which also saw limited action.)

The Wespe probably will be the last of the Bf-110 skins, aside from an occasional change in nose art. Now that they are being made available in their correct 2048 x 2048 format, I have a chance to review them again. When that's done, it will be time for the Messerschmitt Bf-109 and Spitfire.

A confession: I do not have Shado's expertise and am skinning for myself, as well as the community. But my own interest is the resulting screenshot, and I am less concerned, for example, about the color of the spinning propellers. The hubs of Q1+VB are blurred so they will be appropriate for the picture, but it is an awkward look when they are not turning.

The fact that the planes offer a completely different experience for those who actually fly them in combat is a measure of how satisfying Cliffs of Dover can be for us all.

And even I appreciate the new sounds.